Are there any tricks to avoid air bubbles by the guide foot when using Nylon thread without CP? on my 2 most recent builds I did not apply CP and noticed air bubbles trapped under the thread next to the guide foot. I tried applying heat and packing more finish but I think it was too late. Any tricks to avoid this? Anything I can do before I apply my 2nd coat to remediate it?

For the record, I am using FlexCoat Regular and did not thin it.

Nate,
You need to keep an eye on all of your finish work, as you apply it and for the first several minutes after the application. If there are bubbles anywhere, guide foot, or anywhere else, you need to remove the bubble before the finish cures and locks the bubble in place.

If you want to apply a 2nd coat to help, you need to take a razor knife and cut the bubble out of the finish. The bubble is a sphere, you need to cut the sphere before new finish is applied to fill the void.

Take care

Thanks Roger. I've never had trouble with bubbles on the top of the surface but for some reason these are causing me some difficulties. Is it possible I'm not applying enough finish right away? I like a thin first coat so I could always clean up excess after its settled a bit.

Nate ;
If you are referring to bubbles under the thread along the sides of the feet? These are more air pockets then a bubble. Do not cut the threads it will compromise the strength of the wrap. If they are just in the finish Roger's tip can help.

You may not realize it because they are out of view, but you are getting them on CP thread wraps as well maybe even worse. You just can't see them.

Three things to help
1. start applying the epoxy at the tips of the foot and work towards the neck this will help the air to push out
2. you can take a tooth pick dipped in epoxy and gently push some up under the thread, but be careful as you can damage or loosen the wrap if you get too aggressive.
3. work faster starting at the the tip then smaller guides first, working towards the seat. the thiner epoxy will do a better job of penetrating and pushing the air out

Hi Nate,

I don't use CP, and this is the way I apply my finish:

On the first pass, I apply finish to both sides of the guide feet. After I do this for all of the guides, I start back over and apply an even coat to the entire wrap. I never poke finish under the foot. I use regular ThreadMaster, and I don't heat it before mixing, although I used to.

I don't get air pockets.

I hope this helps you.

Take care,

Chris

Nate,

I apply a couple of coats of Perma Gloss to my wraps, allowing an hour of drying time between coats, and let it dry overnight. Then I apply the epoxy the next day. The Perma Gloss is so thin when applied it penetrates the guide foot tunnels and eliminates any air bubbles. It also makes the finished wraps look like glass. I love it!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2015 09:56AM by Donald R Campbell.

I picked this technique up from Kathy Kruse at The Rod Room. She must have wrapped 20 or 30 thousand rods by now so I listen when she talks! She's a "blobber"...very sloppy start to all her wraps. The very first thing she does is "blob" epoxy on the thread on both sides of the foot - directly on the tunnel BUT NOT ON, OVER OR EVEN NEAR THE OPEN END OF THE TUNNEL. She works from butt to tip and does all guides in about 2 minutes. Then she goes back to the butt guide to see if the epoxy IS BULGING OUT OF THE OPEN END OF THE TUNNEL. If it is, she begins to smooth the finish and adds enough to create a nice bead on the blank at the open tunnel end of the wrap (seals the tunnel). If the epoxy has not seeped all the way through the tunnel to "bulge" out the open end, she adds more epoxy, puts pressure on the brush - literally tries to mash epoxy into the open tunnel (through the thread, no toothpicks for her) and will even apply heat if necessary. She won't finish the guide until she sees the bulge. She insists it's the most important step in finishing the wrap and it's critical for holding the guide in place long term. I believe her.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Thankfully this one is for me so I an not too concerned about giving it to a paying customer. Hopefully I can avoid this on my next build.